You exaggerate, and your defensiveness is becoming boring.

Saying that you are treafing old ground is not the same as saying that the argument has no value; it does, however, mean that your energies might be better focused in another direction, even when applied to the same argument. Again: the best way to foster constructive conversation is to be constructive, and you've repeated that you have no intention of doing that, from your mouth to our ears.

Again: all it takes is to approach your argument from a different direction, and even people who fundamentally disagree with you about FFXIII's quality can get behind you.

I think you may be a touch delusional.  8 million with ease?  you do realize that only two FF games have ever made more than 8 million sales, VII and X.  VII was the 'groundbreaking bestest game of all time' contender, and X was a well done followup on the highest selling console of all time.  to assume that a new FF game would 'easily' break 8 million by being on one console is just...well, it's not very logical at all.  5 million? sure, I can handle that, it would put the game's sales just a touch above where XIII is on PS3, but don't go thinkingit'd practically double in sales just becuase it's exclusive.  

But FFXIII was exclusive to the PS3 in Japan and it still didn't do as good as previous games. Surely it had something to do with the fact that the PS3 isn't as popular as the PS2 was so we can't blame Square-Enix for realizing that too and making the franchise multiplatform.

Explaining why something doesn't work IS constructive criticism.  If I just said "this doesn't work", that's just being critical.  by examining the roots of a gameplay mechanic, it really brings to light what about it didn't work and how to fix it.  Not sure what about that you don't understand.  

We're at an impasse, it seems, where mutually assumed ignorance is going to act as something of a permanent roadblock.

So be it; let me know if that article manages to do what you intend for it to do (whatever that is, in truth)

Highly disagree here as the japanese aren't that dumb. i mean the "regional exclusive" trick doesn't mean shit really.

the japanese audience with both XIII & the -2 are still pretty upset about the westernization and they do feel that is the foremost problem with the XIII series. i have to agree that going back in excluisve mode would boost sales since (part of) the trust in Square's direction would come back

Versus will be a great sales "benchmark" to help square re establish its affiliations. a prediction of 5 mil is totally realistic

360 owners talk big but console-rpg sales don't agree with them. if the FF brand helped on its own sell the game, let's not bs our selves, that happened on the 360 and i predict sales of a possible  XIII-3 will show a far greater decline on the console and prove me right

my prediction is that a possible XIII-3 would also help XIII-2 see a small rise in sales since its the very first direct sequel in the series and people would wanna see the story in its entirety and itself could do about 2 mil

Ah, yes, Khuutra is the true definition of a guy who is just bent on hating whatever you have to say.

And honestly, people don't really hate you. I don't at least, but it's hard to not scoff a bit when you write so condecendingly. I read nearly all of your in a super loud, tense voice because that it how your posts read.

i was thinking about this, coupled with the "new direction" stuff they could be going for something different and someone already suggested an arpg might be it.

let me throw another crazy idea on the table. a turn based XIII battle system that would focus even more on the strategy

I'd be more flattered if you said Sheldon Cooper.  I mean, I kind of DO carry myself like him, in that I have that snooty "I'm right and you're wrong" attitude.  It's not so much condescension as much as it is arrogance.  I don't think others suck, just that I'm awesome.  

And yeah, lots of people hate me.  my general behaviour tends to be very polarizing.  some people adore my 'don't hold back, take no shit' attitude, whereas others just find it rude, obnoxious, or as you said, condescending.  I used to be very meek and apologetic, very interested in having intelligent debates with people, but as time went on I found out that a timid nature gets you nowhere.  Being a nice guy is great, but it only works when the people you're around are nice guys too.  

So yeah, I'm not as hateful as I seem, I'm just strung out on the internet.  Too many people making too many irrational arguments for me to not be condescending.  

Then there's Final Fantasy XIII.  man, I wanted SO hard to like that game.  I played it, thought it was boring...and for 20 hours I kept telling myself "it gets better, it has to."  and while there was a point in the game I genuinely liked (chapter 11, also known as Gran Pulse), it was too little too late.  hell, the game even broke my first PS3, forcing me to get a new one and I picked it back up 3 months later just so I could finish it.  much as my demeanour would indicate otherwise, I really wanted to like it.  All this time I knew deep down inside that it was an objectively bad game, but until recently I couldn't really put my finger down on WHY it was bad.  yeah, it had a lot of things I didn't like, and a lot of things that didn't work, but that's no reason to hate a game or deem it "the worst game to come out this generation" (of the AAA titles, I mean).  so I've been skittering around this idea for an article for a while now, hoping to shed some light on the main reasons the game fails as a game.  

I'm still hesitant to write it, BECAUSE of all the people who will simply take the opportunity to tell me I'm a troll, I'm ignorant, or have no place talking about a game I hate.  Hell, look at some of the responses I got on my Final Fantasy XIII-2 review from earlier in the year!  lots of straight up hatred on that review, even though I spent half the review praisig what XIII-2 did right.  

Well, you're certainly a unique person. I've never thought I'd read or hear someone who said they're snooty and arrogant as compliments to themselves. Carry on, screw the haters?